Nose
Sun-ripened lemons, poached pears and tropical blossoms.
Palate
Medium-bodied palate of yellow orchard fruit, honeyed mango and citrus oil spiced by touches of vanilla, clove and subtle oak. This youthful and precocious wine is drinking deliciously now and should develop additional refinement with a little time in bottle.
Growing Conditions
2016 was yet another superb growing season. Another warm and dry winter in what has become our extended drought lead to what has become the normal ‘early’ budbreak which was again supported by fortuitously timed February rains. A relatively hot early season and start to summer pushed the pace and the expectation of an early harvest but a significant cooling shift occurred at the end of July, tapping the brakes enough for a more extended hang time allowing increased flavor development and a slightly later than expected start to the harvest.
Winemaking
The grapes were picked in the cool early mornings to maintain their freshness, natural acidity and delicate flavors. We utilize traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques, while respecting the unique quality of the fruit our vineyard delivers. The grapes are hand sorted, whole cluster pressed and then barrel-fermented. We still significantly restricted malo-lactic fermentation to preserve acidity and crispness, but allowed a slightly higher percentage to go through it to increase the texture and to build the mouthfeel a bit. Finally, we aged this wine on its lees for ten months in all large format barrels with only periodic ‘batonnage’ during the first five months to optimize the aromatic freshness of the wines.
Aging
10 Months
56% new, 44% used
Appearance
The 2016 Salus Chardonnay displays an elemental gold color and comes out swinging.
